Directors OK cheaper Truckee aquatic center building option

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TRUCKEE, Calif. — The Truckee-Donner Recreation & Park District will move forward with a metal building structure for its new aquatic center, reducing costs by roughly $370,000.

Officials originally estimated a $7.24 million cost for a 26,500 square-foot masonry building, which didn’t include an approximately $333,000 expense in local public agency fees. A new plan approved last week by the TDRPD board, however, estimates a $7.2 million budget for a one-story, 25,840 square-foot metal building — a figure that now includes the public fee expense.

Having a metal skeleton will make it $200,000 cheaper to construct the center’s shell and decrease the architect fee by $42,000, since less engineering is needed, said Steve Randall, district general manager. Additional cost-saving measures include reducing the furniture budget from $40,000 to $20,000 and the leisure pool playground structure budget from $93,000 to $50,000, among others.

The project was initially over budget, in part due to an oversight by the architect, Utah-based Innovate Architecture/Mark Wilson Architects, which didn’t account for the $333,000 in agency fee expenses, according to previous reports.

Despite this move, a $118,071 shortfall still exists, when comparing the original $7 million in district funds earmarked for the project to the proposed budget of $7.2 million, minus $80,200 in paid architect fees, for a final balance of $7.12 million.

To help cover the deficit, the TDRPD board last week approved the use of a budgeted building and development fund, which contains $182,565.

“There’s been a lot of hard vetting on these budget numbers,” said TDRPD director Kevin Murphy. “ … So we’re pretty darn tight right now.”

Should the project go over the district’s proposed budget when it goes out to bid — expected to happen between mid-December 2013 and March 1, 2014 — the architect has come up with potential options to lower costs, including eliminating the diving board, which impacts pool construction, for $35,000 in savings; reducing the size of the pool and leisure pool building for $175 per square-foot savings; and delaying leisure pool toy installation for $50,000, among others, Randall said.

“It’s not optimum, but I just wanted you to know that there are options should bid day not go as nicely,” Randall told the board.

Should the bid go better than expected, Dan Kates, chair of Truckee Aquatic Coalition, suggested the proposed eight-lane, 25-yard competition pool become 10 lanes. Other center expected features are a warm water pool with a lazy river for therapy purposes and play features for children, along with locker rooms and bathroom facilities.

“The decision to go with a metal building is going to bring more bids out,” Murphy said. “More contractors do metal than large public works projects, so essentially … the more contractors that bid, the lower the costs.”

“The decision to go with a metal building is going to bring more bids out. More contractors do metal than large public works projects, so essentially … the more contractors that bid, the lower the costs.” Kevin Murphy TDRPD director